September 23, 2025
Launched virtually in 2024, Laugh, Cry, Heal returns this fall for its second year with live events in Birmingham (Oct. 3–4), Phoenix (Oct. 24–25), and Chicago (Oct. 31–Nov. 1). For Erica Campbell, the response to year one made it clear she had tapped into a deeper need.
As an award-winning gospel artist, bestselling author, and co-host of the nationally syndicated Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell, Erica Campbell has built her career delivering music and messaging that heals and uplifts. Now, she’s extending that mission with Laugh, Cry, Heal—a two-day experience blending music, conversation, therapy, and worship aimed at true transformation.
Launched virtually in 2024, Laugh, Cry, Heal returns this fall for its second year with live events in Birmingham (Oct. 3–4), Phoenix (Oct. 24–25), and Chicago (Oct. 31–Nov 1). For Campbell, the response to year one made it clear she had tapped into a deeper need.
“What I learned is the value in allowing women a space to talk about their faith and their mental health, their vulnerability, to ask tough questions and get answers and literally leave changed,” Campbell told Black Enterprise. “One event can open the door for so many women to walk into their freedom and healing. It happened for me, too, as the host. I just knew I had to do it again because it was such a powerful moment.”
Part of the beauty of Laugh, Cry, Heal is the way Campbell shares her own healing journey by opening each event with a theatrical piece titled Hello, Sadness, which gives grief and struggle a face and a voice. By sharing her own journey of learning to embrace vulnerability, she invites attendees to lower their walls, too.
“I give her a gender, I give her a personality,” Erica Campbell explains. “And I don’t want her there, because to me, sadness equals weakness and tears—powerlessness. It is literally my own story of being very happy about the fact that I’m not a super emotional woman… But I’ve learned the power in saying, ‘I’m not OK right now, but I will be.’ Being honest with yourself is healing. When my walls come down, theirs do too.”
While the event does make a stop in Chicago, Campbell also deliberately chose two other relatively smaller markets, Birmingham and Phoenix.
“Those cities stood out because they’re valuable markets, but not places I go often,” she explained. “It’s about building relationships beyond the Atlantas, New Yorks, or D.C.s. People everywhere are eager about their faith and mental wellness.”
Each stop follows a two-day format: an intimate VIP gathering on Friday night, followed by Saturday programming with music, therapy, and candid conversation.
“VIP is about 200 people, no rush, just real connection,” Erica Campbell said. “Saturday is therapeutic, educational, and freeing. There’s a Q&A too, so women can ask what they’ve been holding in. It’s about ushering in freedom and encouraging women to gather in their own cities and heal.”
No tour is complete without the right mix of voices, and Campbell has been intentional about building a stage that balances clinical expertise, spiritual depth, and cultural resonance. The curatorial choices behind Laugh, Cry, Heal reflect Campbell’s deep sense of calling.
“It is literally prayer,” Campbell said of selecting speakers and performers. “This is not just, ‘I needed a business.’ My life is already busy. I want to align with people who are called to me. Because when you’re called to it, if it gets difficult, you won’t quit. This event is so purpose- and heart-driven.”
From clinical experts to cultural change-makers, the 2025 Laugh, Cry, Heal lineup is designed to guide women through release, reflection, and renewal. Among the featured speakers and performers:
• Dr. Sarita Lyons – Psychotherapist and advocate at the intersections of mental health and justice
• Love McPherson – Relationship expert and founder of Love Infinity, Inc.
• Lena Byrd Miles – Gospel artist whose voice carries both power and peace
• Sybil Amuti – Strategist and host of The Great Girlfriends podcast
• Jor Él Quinn – Advocate for emotional honesty and wholeness in men’s lives
• Brittany Phillips – Trauma therapist and emotional wellness coach, Daniels Coaching Group
• Pastor Adrian Lindsey – Life coach and pastor focused on holistic living
• GooGoo Atkins – Confidence coach championing identity and truth
• Dr. Tara Jenkins – Founder of MinistryMates.org, empowering women in ministry
“I personally curated this lineup with intention,” Campbell emphasized in her official statement about the lineup. “I wanted women with a passion for healing inside and out, and a powerful male voice to stand alongside them. Together, they represent truth-telling, emotional depth, spiritual grounding, and joy. They speak to our real lives, not just our highlight reels. This is who I trust to help us laugh, cry, and most importantly, heal.”
This is only the beginning, as far as the singer is concerned. Campbell told Black Enterprise that she trusts the people around her to help as her movement continues to grow.
“I have an amazing team and I believe that faith and business can coexist,” she explained. “Even in our faith events, we need infrastructure. Jesus had 12 guys around him—one was a lawyer, one was in finance. That showed me you need structure. My team is already strategizing and talking about 2026. I know this has great value, and it can absolutely be scalable.”
For Campbell, wellness isn’t separate from wealth—it’s foundational to it.
“We are broken. We have a bad perspective on love, on friendship, on God, on finances. We need to heal financially, too, so we can own what’s ours,” she urged. “We have the largest buying power, but why don’t we see that in our communities? A lot of people are praying where they’re supposed to be putting a plan. Healing is the beginning of that.”
It’s a message that resonates deeply with Black Enterprise readers, who see Campbell modeling what it looks like to leverage influence with impact.
Campbell offers this advice for other women leaders hoping to launch purpose-driven movements:
“Find your confidence first. There’s every reason not to do it, but when you’re called, you’ve got to believe it first. If what you’re building is something people need, then you have to push and fight to get it to them. God will never pull from you and not replenish you.”
She hopes the future of Laugh, Cry, Heal will include television, local chapters, and global reach.
“I would hope that we could Laugh, Cry, Heal on every continent,” Campbell said. “That women everywhere could find spaces for freedom and healing.”
For now, she’s focused on creating three unforgettable stops this fall—and reminding her audience that healing is the foundation of freedom.
And fittingly, when asked which song moves her most from crying to healing, Erica Campbell didn’t hesitate.
“I would have to go all the way back to the beginning and just go to “Shackles,”” she said, celebrating 25 years since Mary Mary’s breakthrough hit. “It’s about praising your way through the circumstance. That’s what healing looks like to me.”
Visit https://loveerica.com/laughcryheal for tickets and more information.
By Janeé Bolden
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